Digital sports streaming service DAZN has replaced Sky as Matchroom‘s broadcasting partner in a ‘game-changing’, five-year tie-up.
The deal, which was mooted earlier in the year, will see at least 16 UK fights annually available exclusively to subscribers in the UK and Ireland for the first time, from July 2021 onwards, as part of a ‘groundbreaking’ move by the international boxing promoter.
Moreover, DAZN will deliver Matchroom Boxing’s schedule to fans all around the world, beginning on 31 July with three back-to-back weekends of the return of the three-week Matchroom Fight Camp series.
“This historic deal builds on the success and momentum of our long-term partnership with Matchroom around the world and solidifies DAZN at the forefront of the global sports streaming era,” said DAZN’s Co-CEO, James Rushton.
“Together, we are committed to building the new home of boxing in the UK and Ireland while continuing to grow the global home of boxing in a way that matches today’s evolving viewing habits and brings fans all over the world more of the most premium live action, more round-the-clock global storytelling, and more broadcast and content innovations – only on DAZN.”
As part of a joint, long-term commitment to grow boxing all around the world and take the sport to new global heights, the agreement expands upon the existing DAZN and Matchroom partnerships across the US, Italy and Spain, along with ‘significant’ planned investment in other key markets.
DAZN and Matchroom also added that the partners will build on original content franchises, such as ‘The DAZN Boxing Show,’ ’40 Days,’ and ‘Making Of’ alongside nonstop highlights, clips, interviews, behind-the-scenes content, and classics, with a focus on developing new, documentaries, features and shows.
Matchroom Boxing Chairman, Eddie Hearn, stated: “We have made the monumental decision to sign a historic five-year deal with sports streaming giant DAZN. This means that our UK events will now be broadcast live on DAZN along with all Matchroom shows across the world. Pushing the boundaries is something we will always continue to do and we needed a partner that shared our vision for boxing, and who was also willing to make the investment to make those dreams a reality.
“This is also an amazing opportunity for our newly formed production and content business, Matchroom Media, who will now be responsible for live production across our events, working in close collaboration with DAZN and enabling us to form a cradle to grave mindset across inception to completion of our shows so we can deliver the live event experience to the viewer in the narrative and style in which we have built it.”
Marking the end of Matchroom’s long-standing broadcast arrangement with Sky, fans in the UK and Ireland will be offered the service for the initial monthly price of just £1.99 in the UK and €1.99 in Ireland as part of a special, limited-time offer entered both markets last year.